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5 and a 1/2 weeks without A/C!

It's been a little nuts around here lately. The most exciting news I have failed to blog about is, that as of September, Mallory is officially potty trained! This process was much easier than I ever anticipated! Besides potty training, we have been watching lots of football, I helped plan a dinner for the Perry's to celebrate their recent adoption of Madeline, Mallory had the stomach bug, John and I both had sinus infections and most recently we had no A/C for 5 and 1/2 weeks!

Now if you have ever bought a house, you may have been either been provided a home warranty or decided to purchase one yourself. This is actually our 3rd home warranty to have, but the first one to actually file a claim on. I never knew it would take 5 and 1/2 weeks to finally get a new a/c unit and furnace installed! I am sure had we been able to choose our own repair person, this outcome would have been different, but since we were at the mercy of a warranty company we got what we got. After the first repair guy came out, diagnosed that our compressor blew, and had the company order the new unit, he decides to ignore our phone calls and we never hear from him again. Finally the home warranty company gets him on the phone and he tells them he broke his foot! That was fine and all but he could have at least called and told us that! Communication was the major problem this entire process! So at this point it's been 2 weeks and we are now about to start all over again on guy #2! My patience was getting smaller and smaller by the day, however, at some point during this time I realized we were blessed in the fact that we did have a/c upstairs! It also could have happened in the middle of the summer, but it didn't!

So next up our repair guy #2 shows up and of all places they pick a guy from gulfport! He gave the warranty company the same diagnosis and schedules a day to come back and install the unit that had already been ordered and was sitting in town at the wholesale dealer. He actually shows up this time, thankfully on a day when John happened to be off work. After installing our new outside unit, he notices that the inside part doesn't match up with our current 23 year old furnace. He then proceeds to try and sell us a new furnace. Considering ours had been working fine the last time it was used, that didn't work with John, so he continues to inspect our current furnace. He then informs us that he found some rust that could possibly cause Carbon Monoxide to be recirculated through out our house via our A/C! He then proceeds to call the home warranty and gets approval for them to order us a brand new furnace! At this point I am over looking the weeks with out a/c and thinking about the 8000 dollars this home warranty is going to be saving us!!

Since this was on a Friday it took the part until middle of next week to be here and by that time we are hearing excuse after excuse from the repair guy about coming. I was getting so frustrated that I was about to write a nasty review about him online! We heard it all, from his truck was having failure problems, to family problems and then we were told he was sick! This guy may have had all these things going on ,but he could have at least communicated that to us!  We couldn't even get him to return our phone calls or texts! The only way we found out the excuses was from bugging the home warranty and they would call him to find out what the deal was.

5 and 1/2 weeks later, John finally pulled the attorney card on the home warranty company and pretty much asked if we needed to contact ours to get this job finished. Let just say the repair guy showed up at our door that night at 6:55 and didn't leave until almost midnight! We were stunned that he showed up so late and unannounced, but grateful that he finally finished our job! All in all it could have been worse, at least we were able to sleep upstairs with air and the outside temps have been cooler! However, I hope I never have to encounter this type of service again and I would never recommend this repair guy if I lived in Gulfport!

We have since learned that the reason he most likely kept putting our job off was, the home warranty company was not paying him very much to do the job, nor were they paying his gas to drive all the way down here! He had better paying jobs, that he decided to do over ours!  I guess the thing that bothered me the most was, on the side of his truck and on his website he claimed to run a christian business. His actions didn't show this example to our family. I pray that he doesn't treat other customers the way he treated us! I mean if you are going to talk the talk you need to walk the walk! When we are treated this way, it definitely reminds us that the way we treat people can be such a witness whether it be good or bad!

I challenge you to think about the way you treat people before you act! You never know what impact you are having on their life!

A Grandmother's Love and Legacy

On September 17, 2012 , Heaven gained a special Grandmother! It's still hard to believe that she is gone, but I take comfort in knowing that she is in Heaven and I will one day be reunited with her again! It still doesn't seem real that she is gone. Evey time I see her picture, it makes me miss her even more. Selfishly, I want her here and would give anything to have another hug, visit and phone call, but I also know that she is having more fun that we can even comprehend up in Heaven! I also know her heart is so happy to be in the presence of our Lord and her Granddaughter Kristen. I am sure they are having a sweet reunion and that thought makes my heart smile!

Patsy Conerly Davis was one special lady! She loved God, her husband, her family, her friends, and everyone she came in contact with! She was such a true example of the way we should all love others! My grandmother always wanted to know what we were up to and had been doing. Every phone call would end with I Love You! We would receive such sweet emails, phone calls and even facebook messages! I will never forget the sweet smile and joy on her face the day she became a great-grandmother for the first time when my nephew Ethan was born! She was so excited and just couldn't wait to see him! She was definitely a genuine person who loved others just as Christ Loved her!

When I think of my Grandmother, the following scriptures definitely define the type of love my grandmother shared with those around her.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

John 15:12
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

1 John 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.



 

Cross references:

1. John 15:12 : ver 17; S Jn 13:34

I can honestly say that I can't remember a single time where my grandmother said a harsh word about anyone or to anyone! Just to think about that statement, blows me away! Could that be said about me?? Sadly no it could not. What a testimony of the way she lived her life.

I have always felt like she was the glue that kept our family together. I have some of the best memories at my grandparents house every holiday with all my Aunts, Uncles and cousins playing football, hanging out or swimming in the summer time. I hope that just because she is now gone that doesn't mean our family grows apart, cause I know in my heart that's not what she would have wanted!

My grandmother was also one of the most organized persons I have ever known. Sadly, this trait didn't get passed down to me or my dad. Her house was always clean and everything in its spot, but more than that, every picture she had ever gotten or taken was in a album labeled! The thought of even attempting this causes me stress! Looking through scrap books she created when my dad and his siblings were growing up are just amazing! What a neat gift she left our family to enjoy! Maybe one day I will get motivated and organize my pictures for Mallory one day. My favorite thing I recently learned about my grandmother, was that she wrote in a journal every morning after breakfast. She would write prayer requests and prayers and different scriptures that were on her mind and heart. The few their pastor shared at her funeral warmed my heart! This was definitely a special gift she left her family.

Since loosing my grandmother, God has really been challenging me to re-examine how I am living my life to further His kingdom. Every day we have on this earth is precious, and not guaranteed! We were put on this earth for a purpose and that is to glorify God and spread the Gospel. I am challenged more than ever to be the Light and Loven that God calls us to be to everyone around us! When I die one day, I pray that people will have seen Jesus lived out in my life every day and not just on Sundays! Praying God gives me the strength to love people unconditionally just like my Grandmother lived out and how Christ commands us to! What a challenge and legacy she left to our family and everyone that new her! No matter how much I miss her, I will cherish all the memories I have with her and look forward to the day I am reunited with her again!

 

Mallory's first Hair cut!!!

Well we had another first happen recently at the end of July. Mallory finally got her first hair cut. Really it was just a trim, but it was more than she had ever had cut! When she was a baby, she had the famous "rat tail" going on, so I eventually couldn't take anymore of that and I cut it off.  Our friend Bridgett who use to cut hair and still does it a little bit on the side, was at our house cutting John's hair and offered to cut Mallory's! I had been wanting to trim it for a while, in hopes it would help it thicken a little and stimulate growth, but was chicken and really wasn't sure I could trust anyone but maybe her.

So I bit my lip and said lets do it!

Mallory did awesome and sat there just like Mrs. Bridgett asked her too! She did great! We were so blessed that Mrs. Bridgett didn't mind showing up at our house and cutting not only John's hair but also Mallory's!

She brought her sweet 4 yr old Jillian with her and afterwards she was ready to have a tea party with Mallory! It was super cute! Here are a few pictures from that day.

 

 

33 Months old is lots of fun!

Mallory is getting closer and closer to turning 3! My nephew Ethan, is turning 3 on September 9th and the 10 weeks later Mallory will be 3! It's hard to believe she will soon no longer be 2 anymore!

It's funny how everyone talks to bad about the so called "terrible 2's". I can honestly say we haven't really experienced those! Mallory is pretty laid back and easy going. She still asks to take naps and go night night! I keep wondering how long this will last!

Here are some fun facts to remember:

- She loves ice cream, but will only eat vanilla.
- She is still a pretty picky eater, but getting better. She actually ate some grilled cheese today and a hamburger with my parents at Wards recently.
- She is doing pretty good with potty training, but we are not fully trained just yet! She held it all the way from Gulf Shores to our house in Hattiesburg recently on our trip home! I was super impressed! She gets either M&M's or Gummy lifesavers for going. She also gets a sticker.
- She loves to swim and will not jump of the side to you.
- She loves to swing on the tire swing John made her. We do it at least 2 times a day, if the weather is good and I usually have to pry her off!
- She is in the pretending phase, and I love to see her mind working!
- Her favorite game right now it to match her princess domino's up. We each get a turn to draw on and have to match the princesses up.
- She is all about matching colors and items. She notices everything that matches!
- Her favorite blankies are "star blankie" and "polka dots". Polka dots has to be turning with the polka dots not showing when we put her to bed.
-She still sleeps in her crib and doesn't climb out yet! I am milking this as long as I can!
- The only drinks she really likes are water, apple juice and milk. She tried lemonade recently and didn't like it.
- She loves strawberries and grapes! She prefers cream(aka cool whip) with her strawberries if we have it.
- I recently let her paint her first 2 canvases. I taped off some words and let her paint! They turned out super cute! I hung them over her pink kitchen. She loves them!
- She can draw a circle pretty good now and knows all her shapes.
- She can count to 15, spell her name, tell you where she lives and our address.
- She prefers her hair half way up. I can sometimes convince her to do a ponytail or pigtails.
- She loves to watch Calliou. It's probably her favorite show besides Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
- She can now pedal her tricycle pretty good by herself.

 

 

 

Mallory is such a sweet little girl, who I love more than she will ever know! I feel very lucky and blessed to be her mom!

A Special Wedding and Adorable flower girl!

Well it's been almost 2 months since John's sister , Krista, married Matt. It's been crazy around here and I haven't stopped to take time to update the blog. Maybe one day I will be better about it.

The wedding was in Jackson, Ms on June 30th, 2012 . They got married in a beautiful old Episcopal church in downtown Jackson. I had the privilege of being the Matron of honor, while John was a scripture reader and usher. Mallory however had the best job of all besides the Bride of course and she was the flower girl! She got to wear a pretty dress and have a flower wreath for her hair, but due to rules with this church she was not allowed to walk down the isle. In order for a flower girl to walk down the isle, they require them to be at least 6 years old! Lets, just say we were pretty disappointed by this, but at the same time it was a lot less stressful this way!

So the day of the wedding, my parents drove Mallory up to Jackson to be in time for pictures... now I thought I told them to try and have her there by 2ish, but not to my surprise they didn't show up until closer to 3. This definitely caused a little craziness going on and due to pictures of the bridal party going on I was unable to do her hair! I will give my mom some credit, she did do her best at fixing Mallory's hair, however toddler hair is not her gift! Lets just say I was completely embarrassed by how her hair looked, but there was nothing I could do to fix it at this point! I am still anxious to see how bad the pictures turned out! Ha! All we can do is laugh about it now!

Being that I am a parent of a 2 yr old, I am always thinking about how unpredictable they can be at times. Therefore, in any formal group setting such as a church I always choose to sit near the back. I mean you never know when a fit could come on or how loud they may be right?? Well lets just say my parents must have more faith that I do of my child, cause as I am walking down the isle, I notice that my parents decided to sit about 4 rows from the front!! Yes, I said 4 rows from the front! Lets just say, I was on more pins and needles that my parents evidently were! However, to my surprise she didn't make a peep the entire time and kept watching everything and smiling! I was so proud and impressed!! Would she have done this great for John and I?? I honestly don't know, but I sure was proud of her and give my parents props for taking the risk and sitting so close up so she could see the service better! I am not sure I would have had the guts to do this!

After the wedding, we loaded up and drove to the Eudora Welty Commons, which is a beautiful old home. They had really yummy food and a band outside! It sure was hot! Poor Mallory was sweating pretty good. I finally pulled her hair back in a ponytail since it was stringy and wet looking. She had a blast dancing and listening to the music! After getting home late Mallory slept until 8am for us in the hotel room which was a record for her!

All in all it was a great weekend and we are super excited to have Matt in the Kirkpatrick family! Here are some pictures from the weekend.

June 2012 came and was over with way to fast!

So it's been almost 2 months since I have blogged and lots of events have happened since then! I will try to put most of them in one or two posts, but one of them I feel deserves a post of it's on!

The end of May we met our friends the Sweatt's, a family who we became great friends with while we lived in Georgia, in Gulf Shores at our Bay House. This is the same family we vacationed with at Disney World last year. Oh how I wish we lived closer and could spend more time with them than a few days a year, but I will take those few days over no days! While in gulf shores, we played on the beach, in the pool, rode the kayak's in the bay, fished, toured the fort morgan (a first for mallory), shopped, rode go carts(a first for Mallory), and ate lots of yummy food! We had a blast and I was sad to come back to reality! Every where we have lived, we made great christian friends, but the Sweatt's are those friends that even though we may not live close anymore, we still keep up with each other and find time to spend together! God truly blessed us with them and I am so excited that they are about to have another little girl, AVA, born in September! I know Anna, will be a really awesome Big Sister! Here are a few pictures from our trip.

When we got back in town from the beach it was officially June! I think Father's day was the next big thing that happened. Father's day was spent at church that morning and we just spent the day at home having family time that afternoon. My parents were in gulf shores this weekend so we didn't get to see them. I helped Mallory make a card for John for father's day and he loved it. We also let him purchase a chain saw on ebay, which made his day! She also made a few things at school for him! The picture in her card from school was pitiful. She actually looked like she had been crying! Ha! I hope that's not a normal day at school.... Here are a few pictures from that day. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband, but Mallory is even more blessed to have him as her daddy! She is already turning in to a daddy's girl!

Smiling before church.

Mallory and John looking at our baby birds!

The next big event was John's sister, Krista, and Matt's wedding! This even deserves a post of it's on so you will have to wait!

Between all of these events and the wedding June was a busy month and went by so fast! Mallory is growing every day it seems! She has started asking my "Why" pretty consistently! She loves pointing things out to me in the store and telling me she has had that or we have it at home. She also has started really noticing when things match. One example is we were using coloring pencils and she would pull out the ones that matched and tell me they were alike. I can't believe we are officially past the 2.5 year old mark! Where has the time gone?? Also, for the first time in Gulf Shores she went under water in the pool! After a few times she loved it! I was so proud of her for finally jumping off the side and going under water! She is now wearing some 3t mainly pj's and 2t clothes. Her shoe size is an 8. She loves to go outside, but doesn't really want to stay a long time especially if it's hot! She must take after her mother in this regard! I love my A/C! When we say our prayers at night she will go down the list of thanking God for : Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Pops, Papa, aunt Katy, uncle Craig, EE, CC,Granna, Aunt KK, and Uncle Matt. She will also sometimes add in people that are in our lives....such as Mrs.  Tina, or Mer Mer and Mrs. Erica. It's super cute and sweet! I love how excited she gets over the smallest things! One example was I let her help me roll up the crescent rolls for dinner one night! She was so excited and proud that the first thing she told Daddy when he got home was that she helped make the rolls! I wish I could have her excitement about the small things too!

Well we are about to go swimming at my grandmother's so I better wrap up this post. Maybe I will post a little sooner next time!

Fruit Trees and Veggies Oh My!!

When we bought this house right before Christmas last year, we knew it had pecan trees, scuppernong vines, and a kumquat tree. To our surprise, about 3 months ago, we realized we not only had those wonderful trees, but we also had 2 pear trees, several tall and very large blueberry bushes, and a peach tree! Lets just say we feel like we hit the jack pot!! I honestly have been overwhelmed with the amount of blueberries we have and have realized it's really hard keeping them picked! Trust me, pictures don't do the blueberry bushes justice! You would not believe how many there are! One Sunday night, my mom and dad plus John and I were all picking for about an hour or so and we still didn't get all the ripe ones picked! The bushes are so tall you have to have a ladder to get to the top! Our pear trees are not in the best of shape, but they are still bearing some pears this year. Sadly, the peach tree didn't bear any fruit this year. Not sure what happened, it looks like it tried and then just stopped. We were told that is once would bear tons of peaches, so maybe we can figure out the problem and help it along next year. After all it did flower this year and I saw lots of bees pollinating it!

At the beginning of May this year, we decided to plant a small garden in this flower bed that was already empty except for one tree. It was the perfect place since we didn't have to tear any of our yard up and it gets lots of sun! This is our second garden ever planted. Our first one we planted was when we lived in Tallahassee. It was a little bigger than this one, but we had to till up part of our back yard. Our tomato plants in Tallahassee were planted in pots instead of the ground and they didn't do so well, so I am hoping this years plants will do much better! Here is the link to the blog from our first garden we had in Tallahassee! http://www.kirkpatrickfamilylife.blogspot.com/2009/04/well-its-been-while-since-i-have.html and the other is http://www.kirkpatrickfamilylife.blogspot.com/2009/03/veggies-and-fruit-are-on-way.html

So after John tilled up the bed, we mixed in some cow manure and then started planting! We planted 5 tomato plants (4 different varieties, since the store was out of the one we really wanted), 6 squash plants (3 were store bought and 3 were seeds from John's nanny), Green Bell pepper plants, and some Okra that is a Kirkpatrick special seed from his Nanny. We have gotten a few squash already and have lots of green tomatoes on our tomato plants! The Okra was planted a little later due to having to soak the seeds, so they are smaller than everything else. It's been so fun to watch everything grow! Mallory has really enjoyed helping me water the plants every afternoon. Here are some pictures of all the fruits and veggies!

This is our Bell Pepper Plants. (note the lovely grass and weeds growing in our garden! This is all due to john being a tight wad and not letting me get any of the black tarp stuff or mulch! HA I told him he needed to get out there and pull it all up, but as you can see it still hasn't been done!)

Blueberries!

More Blueberries!

Mallory checking out our blueberry bushes!

Our first Squash!!

The Kirkpatrick Okra plants!

Pear Tree

More Pears! Yummy!

Squash plants!

Tomato plants

Tomatoes!! Yea!!

Our Kumquat Tree back in the winter when it was full of kumquats!

Kumquats!! Can't wait to get some more towards the end of this year!